I've been reading your blog for some time and I wanted to reach out to you about some 'Queens Crap' in my neighborhood.
The Attic Hour Children Thrift shop at 35-53 Crescent Street (between 35&36 ave) is just plain VILE. Constant filth and trash on the sidewalk, clear fire hazard inside the shop, chronic double parking by patrons and their work truck, then to top it off, nasty attitudes when you'd like them to move their vehicles. Sometimes, they even place their trash on the street to 'reserve' parking, cones/chairs etc. People drop their trash off after hours, then the homeless dig through it spewing the left overs all over the sidewalk. I've lived on this street for years, and love it until this nasty place came in. The turning point for me to complain to the city was the FILTHY mattress that looked like it was laced with bedbugs. After I called 311 to complain it seemed to get better. So I let it go. Now they hired a crew to come and CRUSH left over furniture, console TV's and garbage between 3-5am!!!!! EVERY weeknight.
To try and keep this email brief, I have started a blog detailing the shop's misbehavings. (35block.com) You clearly have a very well defined and read blog and I was wondering if you could cover this place.
Also, any pointers on where to turn for help with this I would appreciate.
Cheers
- Sandra Soroka
16 comments:
"Now they hired a crew to come and CRUSH left over furniture, console TV's and garbage between 3-5am!!!!! EVERY weeknight."
The author is referring to the private sanitation pickup. The statement kind of made me think it was something else.
Also, the photo on the blog of the double parked truck doesn't seem unreasonable. Not every second of a delivery or pick up is taken up by physical moving of goods. For all we know, the workers are waiting while their boss addresses a complaining neighbor, or discusses details relating to the pickup.
I sympathize with the author, but double parked delivery vehicles and overnight garbage pickup are things almost anyone living near a business must live with. If the garbage pickup came during the day and blocked traffic, that would be a problem. If the city dedicated a loading zone and removed several car parking spaces, that would probably be a problem as well.
Living next to a business sucks.
Although I don't live on the block, I dontate to Hour Children regularly and from my observations until donations are brought inside, or brought to another of their stores, stuff is on the sidewalk. (Not sure where else they should put it until then.)
As far as late night trash pick up, that is how commercial carting works in all of NYC - stores do not get Dept of Sanitation service. They hire private carters, all of whom pick up at night. And, as someone who lives next to a manufacturing building - yes, they make noise.
Double parking seems unavoidable, but Crescent is a pretty wide street - if I'm not mistaken there are two traffic lanes in addition to parking lanes. So, I'm not sure how much is really blocked while they load/unload. And, what do you expect businesses to do to avoid doubleparking? It is unreasonable to expect any business to either find legal parking and carry stuff blocks, or to sit there and wait for a spot to open up.
Start with your local Community Board
They should assist
I lived for many years in an area where the Dept of Sanitation would collect garbage in the wee small hours of the morning. My bedroom window was right above the street, which was generally quiet at night except on garbage night. My solution was to sleep with earplugs on garbage nights. It worked like a charm and saved me lots of aggravation. I DO see private haulers making garbage pickups during the day, however, and I am sure this shop could arrange the same.
As for the rest, there is no excuse for it. If you read the post again, it's the business' WORK truck, not a truck making deliveries/pickups. People donate their crap to the place; it's not buying goods to sell. In addition, they should not have their wares all over the sidewalk. And mattresses are supposed to be sealed with plastic.
Whether it's a "work" truck, or a delivery truck -- where are they supposed to load/unload if not in front of the store?
But its Astoria -
1. first complaint "whatyawant - this is city life!"
2. second complaint "whatcanyadoabout it - calling 311 or Vallone does nuttin"
3. third complaint "yadontlike the city go ahead an move!"
How about pulling over to the curb on the other side where they are not blocking traffic?
those items are not for sale. its for trash pickup.
the photo is misleading.
Those wax ear plugs do a great job. I can attest to that. Yankee ingenuity.
But Crapper, how did you avoid oversleeping when the alarm went off?
Why would the place have had a dirty mattress in the first place? As for waking up, you use a vibrating alarm clock and put it in bed with you.
Caution...Stay anon.
consider moving to a quiet residential street. An Avenue /Street like yours is also zoned for commercial businesses.
BUYER BEWARE.....
Actually, you can live on a residential street and some asshole will get a variance to put a business there and you're SOL.
Vas? A wibrating klock? In der bett mit you? Don't be a girrrrly man. I haf my aziztant come und vack me in der hed mit a 2x4. ("Raus von der bett, Ahnold") Hahr, hahr!
Amatuers! you can do better than that!
I'm not so overly concerned with the double parking as I am the threatening attitudes when I try to get my vehicle out of the double parked space, also they do spend a lot of time 'hanging out' rather than being parked for business purposes. Sure trucks in the city need to double park, its their over abuse of such that I am mentioning in combination with all their other various disrespects of the neighborhood.
Also this WAS a quiet residential street for sometime before they moved in and I am NOT looking to get them shut down, just that they start respecting the block and the people that live here.
And whether its trash for pick up or not you can't tell me that pile of bags and nasty mattress are not vile. Its not misleading this is what the exterior often looks like with mobs of stuff everywhere.
And I am not moving out because some people decided that their rights as a business are more important than the rights of the people who have lived here for years.
Queens Crapper thanks for covering, and thanks to those who took the time for a sincere look at the blog, and genuine comments. The rest of the comments can be left out in front of this thrift shop with the mattress.
SS
OMG! I think we have success! The garbage people were just by crushing things a bit past 9pm. Thanks so much Queens Crap for helping spread the word and getting our neighborhood peace! *crosses fingers this is permanent*
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